Tuesday, December 30, 2014

The discussion about 2016 presidential politics taking placenow will not, one year from now when the contest will havebegun in earnest, much resemble the discussion we will behaving then.

Today the pundits and potential candidates are spinning theirwheels in public. In private, of course, serious maneuvering is already taking place, especially in the retention of consultants,advisers and other campaign operatives, as well as initial contact with major donors and the preliminary organization plans andstrategies.

First of all, we don’t know for sure who is running. Probably, we know most of the candidates in both parties, but some of thebiggest names remain somewhat uncertain. Second, we don’tknow which candidates will have traction. Third, there are alwayscontenders who do much better than originally expected, andthose who do much worse. Fourth, surprises always happenafter the contest more formally begins, usually between Labor Daythe year before the election and New Year’s Day. Fifth, certain
late-breaking events, domestic and foreign, often can profoundly
shape the campaign season.

Only when the announced candidates are known, show their
political cards, begin their publicity campaigns, and appear in adebate together, is the true chemistry of a presidential nomination
campaign visible. That is especially true since the 2012 cycle when there were so many debates, as well as a number of late-entering major candidates in the Republican contest. It has been said thatthe two major parties will try to cut back the number of debates in2016, but this will be easier said than done. This cycle, the contestis open in both parties.

On the Democratic side, there is an early and seemingly
overwhelming favorite, Hillary Clinton, but she was similarly
dominant in 2007-08, before bring upset by Barack Obama. In 2015, Senator Elizabeth Warren seems to be mounting a growing
campaign to replace Mrs. Clinton, and former Senator James
Webb has now appeared for some serious media attention. Should
Mrs. Clinton surprise everyone by deciding not to run, the bats
would be cleared from the liberal belfry, and a donnybrook would
likely result. Serious candidates such as Governor Andrew Cuomo
of New York could then possibly get in the race with former
Montana Governor Brian Schweitzer, California Governor Jerry
Brown, Vice President Joe Biden and a parade of other wannabes.

The Republican contest is now an open field. Perhaps as many asa dozen or more conservative candidates could enter the race,
including a few bats from their conservative belfry, but the early
primaries and caucuses should narrow their number quickly to
much fewer contenders.

By December, 2015, we will have long known whether or not MittRomney decided for another run, whether or not Jeb Bush’ssurname is a help or hindrance, whether or not the New Jerseybridge incident still hurts Chris Christie, and whether or not Rand Paul is more than niche candidate. We will also know much morecertainly whether or not there will be severe Obama “fatigue,” especially among independent voters.

Even then, the real campaign will lie ahead. Who knew or forecastin December, 2011, for example, that the lead in the polls for the
Republican nomination would shift back and forth over the next few months between at least six candidates, that as late as the week
after the South Carolina primary, New Gingrich might win, or that
at the very end, Rick Santorum would be the last contestant left to
battle against Mitt Romney?

The discussion today about the 2016 presidential election mightbear little resemblance to the reality only a year from now, butit does serve a purpose. It’s like batting practice and pitcherwarm-up before a baseball game. We watch for little signs and
revelations about the conditions and techniques of the players. It’s also fun just to watch.

But it’s not the game itself when a lot more is at stake, and theunplanned occurrences and the unpredicted chemistry of actual
competition come into play.

Friday, December 26, 2014

We used to say it’s not your grandfather’s world, and then we
said it’s not your parent’s world, but so much is changing so
rapidly that now we have to say it’s not your older sibling’s
world.

This will be especially true of Washington, DC which seems
to change its “atmosphere” appreciably every four to six years
or so, about the time difference between many oldest and
youngest siblings in a family. (Of course, this doesn’t work
literally if you're the oldest sister or brother, or you have no
siblings, but you get the idea.)

I’m not just referring to the changes of the party which controls
the White House. Since January, 2009, there has been one
president, but control of the Congress has varied. Nevertheless,
the political atmosphere has been essentially the same, i.e., the
Democrats in control and on offense, and the Republicans not in
control and usually on defense. Public policy has constantly, if
slowly, moved to the left, i.e., toward more and more federal
controls and regulation. Stalemate has occurred.

But it’s not just political. Washington sets the tone for much
media coverage, and in the past six years, under a Hollywood/
New York City bias to President Obama’s administration, for
much cultural tone as well.

More than the conservative landslide of 2014 will change
Washington, DC. The Old Liberal Media institutions of CBS,
NBC, ABC in radio and TV, the aging patrician newspapers of
the New York Times and the Washington Post, the cable TV
networks, and establishment of left wing Hollywood movies
and personalities have been in steep decline. (The recent
SONY movie debacle is only another marker of Hollywood’s
mediocrity and declining audiences.)

This does not mean necessarily that conservative institutions
will automatically or even effectively replace the liberal
institutions. The Wall Street Journal, The Weekly Standard,
Fox News, Rush Limbaugh, Sean Hannity and a growing
number of centrist and conservative commentators, are
reaching larger and larger numbers of Americans, it is true.
More and more entertainment figures are expressing openly
conservative views, but they remain in the minority.
University faculty and administration establishments remain
on the radical far left.

Outside Washington, DC, the nation is much more balanced
politically and culturally, and this coincides with something I
and others have been writing about for some time, i.e., the
movement of increasing influence to individual states, new
demographic and technological communities.

This will make the next two years a very interesting period,
with the Old Culture trying very hard to regain its dominance,
and the New Culture trying just as hard to take control. Nor
will the labels “liberal” and “conservative” suffice to describe
the competing forces. Creative individuals and groups now
considered in traditional liberal/conservative paradigms will
almost certainly break out from previous patterns. Some
liberals, it will also be true, will become more and more radical;
some conservatives will become more and more reactionary, and
although they will undoubtedly flavor the competition, and
obtain not a few sensational headlines, they will not define or
shape the new atmosphere. (Nor will the series of recent “protest”
outbreaks, excessively publicized by the Old Media, but really
representing only very tiny groups of organized and disciplined
radicals who routinely try to take advantage of sensational
incidents as a way to influence unsuspecting majority groups
both on the center left and the center right.)

The bigger question is whether or not Washington, DC will
continue its current decline, and whether the "atmosphere" in the
nation’s capital will matter as much as it dud when our fathers
and mothers regarded it as the place where the various groups,
factions, parties and opinions in the country came together to
do the nation's business, to debate and then legislate.

Monday, December 22, 2014

Only a few more days remain of the ancien regime ofcongressional stalemate which has been stamped on the past four years of the Obama administration in Washington, DC. This stalemate, however, has not occurred in most of the individual states where Republican governorsand legislatures (and some Democratic governors, too)have pursued innovative and economically prudent policies.

The president’s sudden left turn in U.S. policy to Cuba, notunlike his unilateral initiative on immigration policy, werenot exactly surprises, nor without the motive of distractingpublic attention from the important changeover in theU.S. Congress where the opposition party now has clearcontrol.

There will be many changes after the first week of Januaryin the nation’s capital and capitol. The legislative agenda,and all of its constitutional powers and prerogatives, will nowbe in the hands of those who disagree with Obamacare,expansion of bureaucracy, higher taxes and more regulatoryauthority in the federal government. The president retains the“bully pulpit,” but Congress now has unambiguous controlof the purse strings and the confirmation process.

The president had more the upper hand the past four yearswith the Democratic control of the U.S. senate under theautocratic hand of Harry Reid. Speaker John Boehner wasconstantly at a strategic disadvantage as his party and hiscolleagues were almost entirely shut out of federal policy making. It will be fascinating to observe what both Mr.Boehner and the new Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell have learned from their recent experiences in dealing with Mr Obama.

The liberal Old Media makes much of the disagreementsabout some policies within the Republican Party, especiallyon immigration, Cuba, and healthcare, and that explains theshort-term strategy of Mr. Obama’s actions, hoping thatinternal dissension will self-obstruct GOP opposition to thelarger liberal ambitions of creating a U.S. version of theEuropean welfare state.

Nice try, Barack, but I think John and Mitch have got yournumber --- having obtained it through bitter experience over the past six years.

Nevertheless, the Republican leadership will need to exhibitvery skillful leadership of its increasingly conservativemembership in the Congress. It’s not only a free country, butconservatives seem to be more independent-minded thantheir liberal colleagues, at least in the past several years. On theother hand, there are several very bright and thoughtful membersof the liberal party in Washington, DC, who now should considerthemselves free of the whipping hands of Mr. Reid and Mrs. Pelosi,and if they exert themselves in the next two years, could do muchto bring their party back to the political center --- and thus possiblyto new victories in 2016 and beyond. Each party has its moreradical mavericks, for every Bernie Sanders and Elizabeth Warrenthere is a Ted Cruz and a Rand Paul, but the business of the nationmostly takes place in the center.

That is where the contest of the next two years, and then in theelection of 2016, will take place. It is in that arena where the nextpresident will be selected. In the current interregnum, Mr. Obamaseems less interested in what will follow him than in a personalagenda. That’s understandable, but not necessarily helpful to hisown interests beginning in only a few more days.

Tuesday, December 16, 2014

As we approach the new year, with a Republican-controlled
Congress, a cascade of announcements for president in
both parties (and some declines), new executive orders by
President Obama, oil probably at below $50 a barrel, new
machinations in the Middle East, and lots of surprises,
it’s time for a survey of some recent news stories.

JEB BUSH has now formally announced an exploratory
committee for president. In current polls, he is either the
leading Republican committee, or close to it. The cliche
about his surname being an obstacle to his becoming
Bush 45, now seems to be wrong. If he does run (more than a
50% chance of occurring), he will be one of the frontrunners.
With his Hispanic-American family (including his son
GEORGE P. BUSH, now a statewide elected officeholder in
Texas), a Jeb Bush candidacy would probably keep fellow
Floridian and U.S. Senator MARCO RUBIO out of the race.

HILLARY CLINTON continues to delay her public decision
about her candidacy for president. Although an overwhelming
frontrunner is all early polls, she has faced considerable
criticism from within her own party, and her poll numbers
have declined. A draft-ELIZABETH WARREN boomlet has
appeared from Mrs Clinton’s left, and Massachusetts Senator
Warren has been gathering strength in the polls, most of it
apparently in the Democratic Party’s most leftist base.
Although Vice President JOE BIDEN says he is considering the
race, his poll strength seems to be based on his name recognition
and little more. My old friend MIKE MCCURRY, formerly
President BILL CLINTON’s press secretary, has written a
suggestion that Mrs. Clinton be appointed to the U.S. Supreme
Court (should a vacancy occur in the next 18 months). Is this a
trial balloon? Who knows?

Perhaps the most extraordinary freshman class of new U.S.
senators in memory is about to enter the national scene in the
nation’s capital. BEN SASSE (Nebraska) and DAVID PERDUE
(Georgia) are replacing other Republican senators, and THOM
TILLIS (North Carolina), JONI ERNST (Iowa), CORY GARDNER
(Colorado), TOM COTTON (Arkansas), BILL CASSIDY (Louisiana)
DAN SULLIVAN (Alaska) SHELLEY CAPUTO (West Virginia),
STEPHEN DAINES (Montana), and MIKE ROUNDS (South Dakota)
are replacing Democrats, and thus have given the GOP control of
the new senate by a 54-46 margin. This exceptionally strong class
includes five former members of the U.S. house, a state speaker of
the house, a pig farmer/state senator, two active officers in the
military, a former governor, a physician, successful businessmen
and a conservative college president. The usual rules about senate
freshmen keeping quiet and a low profile might not apply to this
group. The new Senate Majority Leader MITCH MCCONNELL
might have his hands full.

Rumors that former (2012) GOP presidential nominee MITT
ROMNEY might run again in 2016 continue to circulate, but now
that both JEB BUSH and New Jersey Governor CHRIS CHRISTIE
seem poised to run, this would seem to be much less likely. The
dark horse candidacy of DR. BEN CARSON, a black physician,
however seem to be the surprise at the early stage of the cycle,
as Dr. Carson, an outspoken and charismatic conservative,
shows up high in the polls despite being generally an unknown
national figure. The Republicans have a considerable number of
other big-name potential candidates, including the hard-charging
Senator RAND PAUL of Kentucky who was particularly active
helping candidates in 2012, including Majority Leader McConnell
who has virtually endorsed him.

Long-serving and highly popular Iowa Governor TERRY
BRANSTAD is leading an effort to scuttle the Iowa Straw Poll,
a fundraiser for the state Republican party and favorite event
of the national media, (but also a political graveyard for some
serious GOP presidential candidates --- most recently then-
Governor TIM PAWLENTY of Minnesota in 2012). This straw poll,
which traditionally takes place in the summer of the year before
the presidential election, has in recent years been the opening
salvo of the presidential campaign.

Prime Minister BINYAMIN (“Bibi”) NETANYAHU of Israel has
called for new elections, With its multiple parties in the Israeli
Knesset (parliament), the politics of the Jewish state are dizzying
in their permutations and complications, but few are betting
against the wily incumbent at this point.

Conservative and nationalist political parties and movements
are springing up and strengthening across the nations of the
European Union, most of it apparently provoked by the recent
immigration of workers from north Africa and former colonies.
Even Conservative Party Prime Minster DAVID CAMERON of
Great Britain is facing a strong challenge from a new party on
his right. Socialist Prime Minister FRANCOIS HOLLANDE of
France seems particularly endangered. 2015 could be a year of
considerable political change in Europe.

The decline in the price of oil is so far the biggest economic story
in the world, and the current price (about $55 a barrel) is
transforming economies, helping some (consumer nations) and
harming others (exporting nations). How far down the price of oil
will go is very uncertain, and it is likely to remain a very major
story in 2015. Economic columnist Robert Samuelson, one of the
savviest writers on the subject, says the fall in crude oil prices,
and subsequent lower prices at the pump, is a huge “windfall”
for consumers, and could help much of the world economy,
assuming consumers spend most of their fuel savings.

The Chinese economy appears to be in turmoil. As the now
largest economy in the world, its gyrations could have major
and hitherto unexpected impact across the globe.

Thursday, December 11, 2014

The discussion about who might be the 2016 Republicannominee for president has begun, but it so far has barely touched on the real ingredients of a successful campaign.

In fact, so far the discussion is overwhelmingly about thepersonal ideology of the various possible contestants, andhow that ideology fits the current assessment of the GOPelectorate by whomever is conducting the discussion.

I suggest that this is exactly the wrong approach to thequestion, and almost certain to lead to wrong conclusions.

First of all, here is my list of prerequisites for any seriouscandidate in 2016:

A charismatic and likeable public personality, the ability to speak well, debate effectively, and generally think well on his or her feet, without making chronic gaffes.

A broad knowledge of U.S. public policy, critical national problems and issues; this probably gained from credible previous experience in government and/or business.

The instinct and the skill to remain on offense at all levels of campaigning and in all campaign circumstances.

Have as few personal controversies as possible, and to make the decision to put those vulnerabilities he or she does have out in public for airing as early as possible.

A national network of political organizers and staff at local and state levels. For those who have run before, such a network is probably already in place, and might be quite large. It might be much smaller for first-time presidential candidates, but needs to be structured to expand quickly and efficiently.

A fundraising organization which either already has direct contact with major party funders, or can, if the candidate emerges as a major contender, make those contacts quickly. Further, a fundraising effort which does not use most of the funds to pay for the fundraising.

Close counsel and a working campaign team who think creatively, can challenge the candidate, and organize the candidate’s campaign employing original strategies which take advantage of the contemporary (and not necessarily the historical) make-up of the electorate, the party’s voters and their concerns.

A political image which is enhanced by clearly stated public policy ideas and principles that separate the candidate from his or her competitors.

A public political personality which can appeal to voters of the majoritarian center of American politics.

The luck of being able to be the right person at the right time, and to have unanticipated developments break their way.

Obviously, no candidate is strong on all these points. Someof these points have more weight than others. The candidate
and his campaign cannot control some of them The eventualnominee, if he or she is to win the presidential election, willfulfill more of these points than will his or her rivals, but thecombinations are not pre-established and predictable.

There will be a very large field initially for the Republicannomination. Presumably, at this point, the Democratic fieldwill be smaller, and barring the unforeseen, not as competitive.It would take a dramatic turn of events for Mrs. Clinton to bedenied her party’s nomination. Mrs. Clinton could surpriseeveryone and choose not to run, or Senator Warren could emergeas the 2016 Barack Obama, but neither of those now seem likely.

Some factors, in my opinion, are quite over-rated. National namerecognition clearly helps in early polls, but can quickly fade as thecontest begins in earnest. Family name, or the legacy factor, wasmuch demolished in the 2014 midterm elections (Senators Pryor,Landrieu, Udall, Begich and candidate Nunn all lost in spite ofhaving popular family forebears). Although the Democrats had much more money in 2008 and 2014, money was not the determining factor in those elections. Big-name endorsements are always tempting for campaigns, but they actually do not usually shift many votes at all.

Innovation is often a hallmark of a successful national campaign.This goes back to at least the campaign of Abraham Lincoln, whoonly months before the GOP convention which nominated him wasat the bottom of a list of nine, eight of whom were better knownthan he was. Employing an unprecedented use of the media andtechnology, and having networked in his party for years before,Lincoln rose quickly. Roosevelt, Reagan, Clinton and Obamaalso employed technological and other innovative strategies topropel them to the presidency.

Presidential campaigns tend to focus on the lessons from theprevious cycle without thinking about new conditions andfactors in the new cycle.

Governor Chris Christie, having skillfully overcome a
potentially serious controversy in his home state of New Jersey,
got himself elected the chair of Republican GovernorsAssociation, and spent the entire 2014 campaign raising moneyand showing up to campaign for GOP governors across the nation. The unexpected success of so many GOP gubernatorialcandidates in 2014 will pay enormous dividends for Mr. Christieshould he become a candidate. Senator Rand Paul also campaignedstrenuously for senate candidates across the country, includingvital support for his Kentucky colleague Mitch McConnell, now tobe the senate majority leader. Mr. McConnell, not considered tobe close ideologically to Mr. Paul, nevertheless has alreadyvirtually endorsed him for president. Mr. Paul has also carefully
cultivated a broader image of his isolationist and libertarian
views.

Much is now made, in both the liberal and conservative media,about the difficulty for an “establishment” (translate as more moderate) Republican figure to win the nomination in 2016.This presupposes that ideology weighs more than the desire ofmost Republican and independent voters of varying conservativeviews to win back the presidency in 2016. I made this same pointbefore the 2014 election about more radical right wing challengersto incumbents and other solid candidates in house and senate races.The conservative grass roots wanted to win in 2014; and I suggestthey will also want to win equally or more so in 2016.

The 2016 primary and caucus system lies ahead. Early winnersin these events have advantages, but serious candidates who cansurvive to the later series of primaries and caucuses can wintheir party’s nomination.

Sunday, December 7, 2014

The massive wave election of 2014 in the U.S. senate raceswas completed Saturday, December 6 when Republican BillCassidy defeated incumbent Democratic Senator MaryLandrieu by a landslide 12 points in a run-off in Louisiana. That will give the GOP at least a 54-46 margin, and a gain
of 9 senate seats.

Two U.S. house seats had run-offs in Louisiana at the same time, and Republicans won both of them, giving them a246-188 margin in that body. One seat remains undecided, in Arizona’s 2nd district where a Republican challenger leadsthe Democratic incumbent by 161 votes before the recount.That recount will be completed by December 17. TheArizona secretary of state does not expect the recount tochange the leader, based on previous recounts. Should theGOP candidate win, the 247-188 margin would be the largestfor the conservative party in many decades.

While political stalemate lies ahead, as it has existed sincethe 2010 midterms when the GOP won back control of the U.S. house, the ability of the “lame duck” President Obamato control political and policy events will have been severelycurtailed by the loss of liberal control of the U.S. senate, especially in terms of presidential appointments which mustbe approved by the senate.

President Obama has so far indicated that his personal political course has not been changed by the 2014 election,
but the combined GOP leadership in the Congress has many cards to play over the next 18 months until the 2016 presidential and congressional election campaign begins.House Speaker John Boehner especially has been throughfour difficult years of his relationship with the White House,and so far is indicating he will be, now joined by Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, a formidable opponent.

Conventional wisdom has suggested that the upcoming stalemate might ultimately benefit the Democratic nomineefor president (now presumed to be Hillary Clinton) in 2016,but that also presumes that the majority of U.S. voters will want the stalemate to continue past January 20, 2017 when a new president is inaugurated. (The U.S. house almost certainlywill remain in GOP hands, and the large margin gained in 2014in the U.S. senate makes it more problematic for the Democratsto regain control of that body.)

The more the president now refuses to compromise with theRepublican Congress, the more difficult his final two yearswill make it for the Democratic nominee of his party tosucceed him in 2017. The agenda of the Obama-Reid-Pelosiadministration was unambiguously rejected at the polls in2014 in an election that was “nationalized” in large part byPresident Obama himself.

On the other hand, the Republican legislators will need to beskillful as the party in opposition. Some of their more radicalmembers could play into the hands of their liberal opponents by trying to insist on unpopular or unwise courses
of action.

The Republicans, unlike the Democrats, also do not have alikely presidential candidate. A competitive, and possiblybitter, primary/caucus season lies ahead, beginning in January,2016 (which is only a bit more than a year away). Candidatesdo matter, as 2014 clearly demonstrated, and the GOP willneed to put forward a strong nominee in the next cycle.

Otherwise, their current advantages, especially the growingfatigue with a Democratic president, could be lost. The outcome in November, 2016 is still very much an open question, and a book yet to be written.

Tuesday, December 2, 2014

1. TRAGIC NEWS IN GERMANY IN JANUARY, 1945, THE SINKING OF THE NAZI VESSEL WILHELM GUSTLOFF WITH THE LOSS OF ABOUT 8000 LIVES, WAS THE WORST SINGLE SHIP DISASTER IN HISTORY (I PREVIOUSLY WROTE ABOUT THIS INCIDENT). BUT AN EVEN BIGGER STORY FOR GERMANY, THEN IN THE FINAL DAYS OF ENDURING 12 YEARS OF NAZI BARBARISM AND TYRANNY, WAS THAT MORE THAN ONE MILLION GERMANS CIVILIANS AND SOLDIERS WERE EVACUATED FROM EAST PRUSSIA (NOW POLAND). "Operation Hannibal"was the largest short-term
military evacuation by sea in history, dwarfing the more
celebrated British evacuation at Dunkirk in 1940. It rescued
these ethnic Germans from advancing Soviet troops bent
on revenge for the atrocities committed by the Nazi armies
in Russia. However, once back in Germany, many of these
refugees and soldiers were swept up in the chaos of the
end of the war, and did not fare well.

[Further reading: Death in the Baltic by Catherine J. Prince]

2. GAVRILO PRINCIP, WHO ASSASSINATED ARCHDUKE FRANZ FERDINAND IN SARAJEVO IN 1914, AN ACT WHICH DIRECTLY CAUSED WORLD WAR I, WAS NOT EXECUTED BUT DIED OF PNEUMONIA IN CAPTIVITY IN THERESIENSTAT PRISON IN CZECHOSLOVAKIA IN APRIL, 1918.
In one of history’s cruelest ironies, Theresienstat
became one of the most notorious concentration
camps of the Holocaust of World War II --- the war
and the Holocaust. having led directly from World
War I. (An added irony is that Princip’s first name
is Serbo-Croatian for the Hebrew name for “Gabriel”
which means “”messenger of the Lord.”

3. CRIMEA, NOW A CRISIS POINT BETWEEN RUSSIA AND UKRAINE, WAS MORE THAN 1000 YEARS AGO PART OF A JEWISH KINGDOM.
The Khazars were an Asian Turkic people who in
the 4th century A.D. conquered the area north of
the Black Sea, including the Crimean peninsula.
Grown rich from taxing the silk caravans that
passed through Khazar lands, the kingdom became
powerful and very rich. In the 8th century, the king
and the Khazar elites converted to Judaism,
although there are conflicting stories about why and
how it happened. Jewish rule was relatively brief,
but it is an amazing story considering the
subsequent tragic history of the Jews in the same
place a thousand years later.

4. ONE OF THE OLDEST ETHNIC GROUPS IN EUROPE HAS NOT EVER HAD THEIR OWN NATION. THE RUSYNS (OR CARPATHO-RUSYNS) SPEAK THEIR OWN LANGUAGE, AND HAVE A DISTINCT RELIGIOUS AND CULTURAL HERITAGE. An ancient people who have lived in
the area around the Carpathian Mountains in
central Europe for the past thousand years, the
Rusyn lands have been part of Russia, Ukraine,
Austro-Hungary, Slovakia, Poland and Romania.
In 1919, after World War I, various Rusyn leaders
traveled to the Versailles Conference in Paris to
plead for their own nation, but were denied. Today,
many of the 4 million Rusyns live in the U.S.

[Further reading: The People From Nowhere by Robert Magocsi]

5. ONE OF THE VERY FEW NATIVE FOODS OF THE AMERICAN MIDWEST RECOGNIZED GLOBALLY AS A GOURMET DISH, MINNESOTA WILD RICE, IS NOT A MEMBER OF THE RICE FAMILY BUT IS A GRASS. There are four kinds of true wild rice.
The most well-known is native to the northern
prairies, including especially northern Minnesota.
Other varieties are native to eastern U.S., Texas
and China, and varieties have been transplanted to
California, but the primary commercial crop is
from Minnesota.

6. THE MOST CELEBRATED SPY OF WORLD WAR II WAS A CATALAN WHO HAD TO SIGN UP FIRST AS A NAZI AGENT IN ORDER TO BE CONSIDERED BY BRITISH INTELLIGENCE AS THEIR DOUBLE AGENT. Juan Pujols, known universally by the cover
name “Garbo,” devised and implemented the
greatest military deception in modern history by
fooling Hitler and the German Wehrmacht to think
the primary Allied invasion of Europe in 1944 would
be at Calais and not at Normandy. Even three
months after D-Day, “Garbo” persuaded the Nazis
to hold vital divisions at Calais, waiting for an
imaginary army invasion that did not come, and
many consider Garbo’s efforts was a vital part of
D-Day’s ultimate success. [Further reading: Agent Garbo by Steven Talty]

7. THE FIRST SCIENTIST TO CONCEIVE THE THERMONUCLEAR REACTION IN HYDROGEN, A DISCOVERY THAT LED DIRECTLY TO THE H-BOMB, WAS NOT AN AMERICAN, NOR A GERMAN NOR ANY EUROPEAN. The first physicist
to do so was, ironically, the Japanese physicist
Togutaru Hagiwara who revealed his discovery at
lecture in Kyoto in May 1941, seven months before
Pearl Harbor. Although the first H-bomb was not
exploded until 1954, Hagiwara was also a pioneer
in the theories which led to the first A-bomb
exploded over Hiroshima in August, 1945’

[Further reading: The Making of the Atomic Bomb by Richard Rhodes]

8. ARAMAIC WAS THE ACTUAL LANGUAGE OF THE OLD TESTAMENT. Although Hebrew and Arabic are
today derived from it, it is still a living language for
about two million Assyrians, a Christian people who
live in Turkey, Syria, Iran and Iraq where they have
faced persecution for centuries. (A senior member of
the U.S. house of representatives, Anna Eshoo of
California, is the only Assyrian-American in
Congress.

9. KING FAROUK OF EGYPT, WHO WAS OUSTED FROM POWER BY THE EGYPTIAN MILITARY IN 1952, THE SAME GROUP NOW IN CONTROL IN THAT COUNTRY, WAS ONE OF THE WORLD’S FOREMOST NUMISMATISTS OR COIN COLLECTORS. His fabled collection included at
least one of the most valuable coins ever issued by
the U.S. Mint, the 1913 “Liberty” nickel (one sold for
$5 million in 2007) He also owned an “unofficial” 1933
U.S. gold double eagle that sold at auction for the highest
price for any coin in history, $7.4 million.

10.WHEN THE U.S. DOLLAR WAS CONVERTIBLE TO GOLD, THE PRICE OF GOLD WAS $35 AN OUNCE, AND LATER, $42 AN OUNCE AND THEN $44 AN OUNCE. From 1933 until recently, the U.S. Mint did
not issue gold coins, and they were not legal tender.
Nevertheless, gold coins have been bought and sold
on the collector’s market throughout the nation’s
history. In 1971, the U.S. ended converting dollars
into gold. At that time, common dates of twenty
dollar gold pieces were routinely bought and sold
for under $50 each (There was almost exactly one
ounce of gold in those “double eagles”). When gold
reached its all-time peak in 2011, those same gold
pieces traded at about $1900 each. Today the price of
gold is about $1200 per ounce. (Gold coins of all
denominations which have numismatic value can
exceed the official price by significant amounts --- as
can be noted in the previous “amazing” fact of
history.)

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About Barry Casselman

BARRY CASSELMAN is an author, journalist and lecturer who has reported and analyzed American presidential and national politics since 1972.

He founded, edited and published his first newspaper when he was 29. He has been a contributor to many national publications, including The Weekly Standard, realclearpolitics.com, Politico, Roll Call, Washington Examiner, The American Interest, Utne Reader, Campaigns and Elections Magazine, American Experiment Quarterly, Washington Times, The Rothenberg Political Report, Business Today, Election Politics, Business Ethics Magazine, San Francisco Examiner, Washington Insider, and American Commonwealth.

His regular op ed columns and other commentary in print, and on the internet, are distributed through the Preludium News Service. His blog ‘The Prairie Editor” has an international readership and appears on his website at www.barrycasselman.com .

He was a political analyst for WCCO-AM (CBS) for several years, for KSJN-AM (Public Radio International), and for KUOM-AM (National Public Radio). He has also broadcast on RAE in Buenos Aires, Argentina, and beginning in 2000, he produced and broadcast for Voice of America. In 2006, he presented news commentary on LBC, the independent 24-hour news radio network in London, England. He also provided election night analysis in 2006 for Minnesota Public Radio. In 2008, he returned to WCCO-AM for periodic national election commentary. Beginning in 2011, he began weekly commentary on the 2012 presidential campaign on a national radio podcast program originating in Dallas, TX.

Casselman was the original host of “Talk To Your City” on the Minneapolis Television Network, and was a frequent political commentator for KTCA-TV (PBS). In 1992 and 1994, he presented election night analysis for the Conus coast-to-coast All News Channel. In 1996, he provided live coverage from the presidential primaries in Iowa and New Hampshire for All News Channel nationwide. He has also appeared on C-SPAN. In 2008, he was interviewed by ABC-TV Evening News with Charles Gibson.

He has covered national presidential primaries, caucuses and straw polls since 1976, and attended Democratic and Republican national conventions since 1988. He has traveled throughout the United States to report on significant political events, including the national congressional debate in Williamsburg in 1996, the presidential debates, national conventions and events of the Democratic Leadership Council, Democratic National Committee, Republican National Committee, United We Stand America, Reform Party, National Governors Association, NAACP, AFL-CIO, Christian Coalition, CPAC, Green Party and the Independence Party.

In 2012, he was invited to be a civilian participant in the 58th annual seminar on national security at the U.S. Army War College in Carlisle, PA. Also in 2012, he was a speaker at the Jefferson Educational Society's Global Summit IV. At that event, he received the Thomas Hagen "Dignitas" Award for lifetime achievement.

From 1990-2011, he was the executive director of the non-profit International Conference Foundation, and hosted more than 500 world leaders, foreign journalists and other international visitors. At the non-partisan Foundation, he also organized four national symposia: the first on low-income housing with then-HUD Secretary Jack Kemp; the second, a highly-acclaimed conference on “Locating the New Political Center in America” with Speaker of the House Newt Gingrich and leading spokespersons of the Clinton administration as well as newly-emerged independent groups; the third, a symposium on public communications with then-Governor Tom Ridge, former White House press secretary Mike McCurry, Tony Blankley and other national figures; and in 2003, a symposium on homeland security with Secretary Ridge and leading local and national experts. During this time, he also organized numerous smaller conferences, tours and events for the U.S. Information Agency and the U.S. Department of State for its International Visitor Program and its Foreign Press Center programs. In 2008, he organized a special program for international media and visitors attending the Republican National Convention in St. Paul. The Foundation also sponsored programs presenting domestic and international authors and their books.

In 2007, Mr. Casselman helped create and plan the nationally-broadcast and podcast dialogue between former New York Governor Mario Cuomo and former U.S. Speaker of the House Newt Gingrich at the Cooper Union in New York City, and he continued to work on related debate and public policy discussion projects in the 2008 and 2012 presidential campaigns.

Mr. Casselman has been a lecturer on public policy at Princeton University’s annual international business conferences in New York, and its regional conferences in Chicago since 2005; He also has been a guest lecturer at George Washington University, Carleton College, The Chautauqua (NY) Institution, Gannon University, Hubert Humphrey Institute of Public Affairs, Santa Barbara City College, University of St. Thomas, Metropolitan State University, Augsburg College, University of Minnesota, Jefferson Educational Society, and on the international voyages of the Queen Elizabeth 2, Sagafjord, Vistafjord and Royal Viking Sun. He has made presentations on journalism and the arts at Carleton College, University of Minnesota, College of St. Catherine, Minneapolis College of Art and Design, Walker Art Center, Metropolitan State University, Mercyhurst College and the Brazilian Writers Union in Sao Paulo, Brazil.

His non-fiction book North Star Rising was published in 2007 by Pogo Press, an imprint of Finney Company. In 2008, Pogo Press published Minnesota Souvenir, Casselman’s history and visitor guide for the 2008 Republican National Convention in St. Paul. He was editor and co-author of the book Taking Turns: Political Stalemate or a New Direction in the Race for 2012, a preview of that year's national election.

He has been cited in Michael Barone’s Almanac of American Politics and in William Safire’s Political Dictionary. Casselman has invented a number of political words and phrases which are now in frequent usage, and listed in various online dictionaries.

He is also a widely-published American poet, short story writer and playwright whose work has been translated and published in Europe, South America and Asia. He is the author of four published books of literary prose and poetry. His work has been frequently anthologized. Two of his plays, in collaboration with composer Randall Davidson, have been performed by the Actors Theater of St. Paul, Minnesota Orchestra, St. Donat’s Ensemble of Wales, and by independent productions at the Union Depot in St. Paul and the Foss Theater at Augsburg College in Minneapolis. He has provided original texts for two award-winning experimental films, as well as texts for other independent short films and videos.

Barry Casselman was born in Erie, Pennsylvania. He received his B.A. with major honors from the University of Pennsylvania and his M.F.A. at the Writers Workshop at the University of Iowa. He has also studied in Paris, and attended the University of Madrid. He now lives in Minneapolis.